Moonlight and Memory
by danceDANCEdance
Summary: Just a little thought on what happened long ago and far away between Phelios, Duzzel and a little moonlight. shounenai Phelios x Duzzel
1. Chapter 1

**Moonlight and Memory**

**By: Keph**

**Note_: Takes place after my other story "The Night Has Pleasant Times" Enjoy ___**

It was day, but the moon was still in the sky. It was dim and watery, like a reflection of itself, a shadow.

Phelios was staring at the moon that morning. He couldn't take his eyes from it.

His hand absently reached up and brushed his mouth.

Could it have been true?

Last night, was it true that Duzell the Vampire King has sat beside him, spoke of life and love (for what is one without the other?), spoke of moonlight, laughed and leaned the distance between them...

"Prince Phelios?" Phelios started, swung his head and blushed. He had forgotten that his uncle was there. In truth, for a moment he had forgotten they were in the safety of the castle's throne-room and not on a moonlit field. "Prince? Are you alright? I called your name several times...did you not hear me? And your face...Do you have a fever?" The old man brought a dry palm to the prince's forehead, but the boy was laughing now. The old man didn't quite like that laugh.

"I'm fine, Anon. I assure you." Phelios took the old man's hand in his own. "See? Fit as a fiddle."  
The old man sighed. The prince has hiding something, but he would tell him when the time was right. He always had. There were no secrets between them...not that that was necessarily a matter of honesty outright. Phelios tried to lie to him a few times and those times Anon tried not to laugh at the look of pure concentration on the boy's face as he struggled to keep his fibs straight. "Good." Anon said. "Princess Anne is waiting for you in the garden. She asked after your morning audiences you see her."

"The princess...?" Phelios said and his cheeks flared bright red.

"Phelios...you realize you're as red as a tomato?"

"No. No I'm not."

"Phelios..."

The prince touched his cheek and looked away. His voice came, nervous with laughter, "Maybe a watermelon. The insides that is..."

Anon's eye narrowed. "You sure you're alright, prince? You were out rather late last night."

"Was I?"

"And the servants said when you returned you seemed rathered frazzled and distant."

"That can't be right." The prince said, peering away towards the only window in the throne room. The old man had a feeling he was staring at something, but all Anon could see was a pale and fading moon.

"Phelios?"

"Uncle..." Phelios said, shaking his head. Something moved behind his eye and the old man had a bad feeling about it. Phelios was about to lie, but for some reason, this seemed an important moment, one that the old man knew that he would regret later. He had to say something, but what was there to say? Apparently what the prince had done the night before had him rattled, but what...? "I am fine. I assure you. Now. Who is my first appointment? Let's get this done. My future wife it waiting for me, I don't want the flowers to be jealous of her too long."  
"The flowers...?" Anon suddenly laughed and when next he looked the prince in the eye, it no longer seemed so important to ask his nephew, his marvoulous, poetic, foolish nephew anything. Things were going so well in the kingdom and Phelios and Anne's marriage would only cement it. Nothing bad could happen. "Let me get my list, Prince. We'll get started right away."

"Of course." Phelios said, smiling, but although he was trying to imagine Anne, sweet, dear Anne among the roses, all that came to mind was cold moonlight and a man who was not a man at all. "Duzzell..." Phelios whispered, too soft for his uncle to hear, but the man who had just entered that throne room heard and the smile that grew on his lips was long and sharp.


	2. Chapter 2

Someone laughed and Phelios' head snapped up.

He knew that laugh...

He gazed across the distance and he knew the man staring back at him with a secret and snide smile on his lips. Phelios' eyes widened to teacup diameter, his hands gripped his throne, his heart began to pound...

His racing thoughts were a conflict-roses, thousands of roses of deep, blood red...and the moon...

Duzzel smiled as if he knew what the prince was thinking, perhaps he did know.

"Lord Lezzud of Mur province." Came Phelios' uncle's introduction, as if from far away, but it didn't really matter.

"You!" Phelios cried and couldn't remember when he had jumped to his feet, let alone walk down the stairs of the dais, let alone grab the lapels of the Vampire King's coat and pull him close.

Duzzel's smile grew. "Me." He said simply and laughed softly.

Then a thick silence fell in which Phelios regarded Duzzel and Duzzel fought not to laugh and give the game away...It was already too much fun...and he'd only just begun to play...

"Prince Phelios?" Anon said suddenly, although Phelios belatedly realized he had been speaking for some time now. "Is everything alright?"

Phelios paused and had just realized how close Duzzel was to him-he could smell him-a low, heady scent-and he could see his eyes which he realized were an illusion. Sparkling beneath the brown eyes and black iris was the truth-red eyes, laughing eyes, eyes filled with... "Prince? Do you remember me then?" Duzzel said.

"Remember you?" Phelios said in a too high voice and quickly stepped back.

"Prince?" Anon said from closer behind Phelios than he had been a moment ago. The guards were peering close at the proceedings, and their hands were lowering towards blades that sighed as they were pulled from their scabbards.

For a second, Phelios met Duzzel's eye and saw a reflection of himself in there and something about that sight made Phelios laugh. He had no idea why it was funny, but he laughed and when the vampire began to frown in confusion, then slowly, to smile, to grin, to throw his head back and laugh along with him, Phelios couldn't stop himself.

Perhaps, he realized it wasn't funny at all.

Perhaps, at that moment, he sensed the inevitable end that would come of how he liked the sound of the vampire's laugh and the hook in his smile.

Perhaps it wasn't funny at all...

But at that moment, it really didn't matter.

Anon peered from Phelios and the mysterious Lord Lezzud and then at the guards who seemed as confused as he felt, "Did I miss something?" He asked.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 3

At least they had stopped laughing.

Finally.

"Are you sure everything is alright, Prince?" Anon asked his nephew as the boy stood rooted before the stranger. The old man's eyes narrowed as he watched that one. There was something strange about him; something not right. He moved too slow and quick and graceful as water. His face was flushed, as though he had been running, but, as they emerged from the folds of his cloak, Anon saw how pale and cold his hands appeared...And for a second, his eyes, as they turned his way, had flashed...red...

Phelios didn't even look at his uncle. "Everything is fine, Anon. Please leave with the guards. I need to speak to Lord Du...Lord Lezzud in private."

"Phelios...are you sure...?"

"Uncle." Phelios said, still without peering at him. The word held a commanding note Phelios never used with him.

"Very well...Prince..." Anon said and signaled to the guards who begrudgingly fell in step behind the old man. They cast the stranger narrow looks as they passed by, the hair standing up on the backs of their necks. In other words, they cast him dirty looks and gripped their swords as they passed because it was better than the alternative-snivel in fear however apparently illogical. To add insult to injury, it was obvious the man knew the effect he had on the men and his smile at their departure seemed dark and amused.

Phelios barely heard the door close behind them.

What was the Vampire King doing here? Why in the world had he told..._ordered _his uncle and the guards to leave? Why couldn't he look away as Duzzel's gaze shifted from the closed door to him?

Why, in his mind, did the moon loom huge and full, overwhelming?

"Phelios?" Duzzel said in a low voice and the prince started.

He flushed as Duzzel laughed again and said, "Why did you come here Du...Vampire King?"

"'Vampire King'? So formal, young prince...As for why I am here..." Duzzel suddenly closed the space between them. His lips hovered for a moment above the prince's own, then suddenly turned and dove to the curve of his neck. It wasn't until Phelios felt their light touch that he started, like one from a dream and pulled away, losing his balance. Duzzel laughed again. "Stronger than I gave you credit for, Phelios. Usually once I have caught someone with my eye, they act with as much intelligence as say...your palace guards."

Phelios didn't answer right away. His hand was on his neck where even now, he could feel Duzzel's lips, feel the cold breath. His heart was pounding so loud it seemed to drown out everything...He closed his eyes, then, hung his head, "Go away..." he said faintly.

"Now, Phelios." Duzzel said and the prince heard his approach; felt the shift in the air as he knelt before him and reach towards him. Phelios pulled back as he felt a cold hand on his cheek, "I've come all this way and I haven't even been able to speak with you about the purpose of my visit and besides...Is that what you really want?"

_No_, is what Phelios wanted to say. _No_, he didn't want Duzzel to leave. Last night, with the moon filling half the sky and the dark and the stars, he didn't want to leave, but he had, telling himself it had been some strange dream, brought on by stress or heartache or indegestion...

Life and love...

What did he know of such things?

"Why are you here, then, _Vampire King_? Say it and go." Phelios said, peering up at Duzzel suddenly. It seemed at his glance that the vampire checked himself, as if something in his gaze bothered him, but as soon as Phelios saw it, it was gone.

"Very well," Duzzel said, his face suddenly businesslike, a mask, "I am here to declare war with your Kingdom, Phelios..."

"What!" Phelios jumped to his feet, his hands suddenly pulling the vampire close again, "What do you mean? War? Why? Why war?"

Duzzel laughed at the panic in his face, he would truly enjoy this. Making the human turn on a dime was almost better than the feel of his mouth, or his throat, "You did not let me finish, prince..." Duzzel said, gripping the prince's wrist and easily forcing it up. He met the prince's eye, "I am here to declare war, but I will relent on one condition."

"Condition...?"

Duzzel nodded once, then brought the prince's wrist to his lips and kissed it, feeling a wicked thrill as the human suddenly closed his eyes and shivered. He ignored the sudden confused, guilty look that descended on his face as those eyes reopened and fastened on Duzzel. The Vampire King's mouth suddenly ached and he rubbed his fangs against that wrist before Phelios wrest it away, "I am here to declare war with you, Prince Phelios, unless you agree to become mine."

"Yours? What does that mean?" Phelios said in a quiet, shocked voice.

Suddenly Duzzel was closer than he had been before and when he spoke, his voice was a whisper as much in Phelios' mind as his ears, "Many things." Duzzel said and his head dipped to the prince's throat.

When the bite came, Phelios did nothing more than close his eyes and say to the moon flooding his thoughts a single name that should've meant so much more than it did at that moment, "Anne..." he whispered and then, "Forgive me..."

Life...love...war...

What did Phelios know of such things?

He would soon discover exactly that.

_To Be Continued…_

_**Author's Note**: Hi! This one's been in my head for a while, so now I'll write it. Hope you enjoy it! If you do hope you review! (Hey, that rhymes ) Laters!_


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